Best Man Sougo
by HaZvisions
Summary: Sougo infiltrates the Oedo Pyschiatric Hospital in order to catch his target, Kuraba Touma, who happens to be feigning an incurable mental illness. What Sougo didn't realize is that the one he should really be careful of is a certain persistent vermillion-haired mental patient. This is very loosely based on the 2014 movie, Barefoot (aka. The Wedding Guest). [ONGOING]
1. Prologue

**01 - Prologue**

* * *

The patience of this particular badminton-wielding police officer grew thin on the eighth day of his stakeout. He'd been keeping an eye out on the man wearing a red kimono for days, but every single time he was about to get close to his target, the man seemed to disappear into thin air.

Just as the man in red was about to leave the dark alley, the officer gave chase.

 _Crunch._

The sound of the wrapper he had just stepped on echoed throughout the dark alley, ultimately giving away his position. Upon lifting his right foot, he sees the familiar packaging of his all-time favorite snack.

 _Anpan._

He had a bad feeling about this. Nothing good ever happened to him whenever that snack showed up.

The man in red glanced towards his side at the visibly shocked officer and grinned.

Maybe, it was the lack of proper nutrients from his anpan stakeout diet, but even his target started to look like an anpan. The man's red kimono became the red bean paste surrounded by the warm, toasty bun that was once his long, sandy ponytail and white hakama.

He chased after the large anpan with hungry eyes before it left the alleyway and entered into the crowds gathered for one of Edo's annual summer festivals. No matter where he turned his head, he could only see walking, talking, living anpan.

 _Did I finally die and reach anpan heaven?_

A ringtone resembling the iconic soundtrack from the Saw movie interrupted his thoughts. He immediately reached out for his cell phone, not letting his demonic supervising officer wait too long.

"Yamazaki. Report. Where's the suspect now?"

"About that. I have good news and bad news."

"Tell me the bad news first."

"I lost the anpan...err...I mean suspect."

His supervising officer sighed. "Then, what's the good news?"

"I think I'm in heaven. I just found a lifetime supply of anpan."

"Yamazaki! If you really want to be in anpan heaven, just say the word and I'll be there to help you with seppuku! Understand?"

The death threat laced into that last statement brought back some sense of reality into his head.

"Please don't leave where you are, Vice Chief. I'll report to you soon."

 _Sheesh._

Hijikata-san's mood was never that good to begin with but for some reason, it's gotten a lot worse. He's been pushing us to catch _every_ criminal that we all feel like we're about to die from exhaustion. I wish Hijikata-san would hurry up and get married already.

 _If he had a wife to dote on, maybe he'd spend less time scolding us?_

[ooo]

Meanwhile, on the other side of the street.

"Kyaa!" A group of ladies clad in a variety of yukata surrounded the man in red.

"Want to spend the night with me, handsome?" One of the older girls asked as she boldly latched onto his arm.

"That depends. Will you be an obedient dog and bark for me?" He spoke in a seductive tone while pulling out a dog leash from out of nowhere.

"Sorry. Wrong person." The most ordinary-looking lady in the group pulled the older girl and excused herself along with her group of friends.

The man in red chuckled to himself. Now that all the annoying distractions were out of the way, he could finally continue his investigation.

[ooo]

Everything started when the rumours of a Joui uprising reached the ears of Katakuriko Matsudaira and the one name that was frequently mentioned in those rumours was Kuraba Touma. The man possessed big brown doe eyes, but don't let this innocent face fool you, he was more than willing to do anything for profit. He initially began to sell drugs and women, but lately, he's gotten his hands on illegal weapons that he traded with the Joui rebels.

Matsudaira received orders from his superiors to put Kuraba behind bars for the sake of protecting the Shogun, but the Shinsengumi he commanded had been having trouble catching the guy who seemed to slip through their hands like a fox every time. That was when Matsudaira knew that he had to get the man in red involved.

"Sougo-kun, do you remember me?" Matsudaira's voice could be heard through the phone.

"Nn." Sougo agreed. He was a bit irritated from having his afternoon nap interrupted, but he recognized this voice and didn't dare be hostile towards the man that had once saved him from the brink of death.

"Remember that favour you owe me five years ago? I need you to pay it back."

[ooo]

After receiving strict orders to capture Kuraba, Sougo trailed the guy for months in order to gather all of the evidence that he needed to put the guy behind bars for life, but there was a catch. Just when he was about to visit Kuraba's latest residence, the man disappeared. Sougo had only found his trail recently and it led him to the Oedo Psychiatric Hospital. Kuraba must've realized that Sougo was onto him and used the excuse of being "mentally ill" to escape authorities.

Hence, that was the reason that the sandy-haired lad in red was currently standing in front of a large hospital, thoroughly studying the building in front of him.

 _Kuraba, I've got you now._

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Disguise_

[ooo]

* * *

 **A/N** : I've always wanted to do an Author's Corner or like a Q & A section with the characters so here it is:

 **Author** : What are your thoughts on love?

 **Sougo** : (Yawns.) Pass. You know something else that makes my heart race? (Pulls out his sword and starts to cut down a pile of Hijikata dolls.)

 **Author** : (Wonders if Sougo had spent time hand sewing all of those Hijikata dolls.) If I didn't know any better, I'd think you and Hijikata were a couple...

[A sadistic glint enters Sougo's eyes and the author starts to run for her life.]

* * *

 **A/N** : I'll also be inserting deleted scenes in each chapter (another thing I've always wanted to do). Think of it as bloopers when the "canon" (my version of canon) Gintama characters try to follow my script/plot. They can be pretty random though. Feel free to skip them if you want. They're not essential to the plot but I like imagining them.


	2. The Disguise

**02 - The Disguise**

* * *

Sougo picked the lock on the back door of the hospital. When he heard footsteps approaching, he quickly hid in the nearest room available. He waited until the person was in full view. The man was a sunglasses-wearing janitor and he coincidentally needed an inconspicuous staff uniform. He grabbed the unsuspecting _ossan's_ neck and pulled him into the dark storage room. After locking the door, he held a sharp object at the man's throat.

"I'm telling you right now. You won't get anything useful out of me. I don't have any money." The scruffy old man begged.

"Shut up and jump up and down three times." Sougo ordered.

The man was puzzled, but he did as he was told. Sougo listened to the sounds that came from his pockets. It didn't seem as if he was carrying anything dangerous.

"Where's the janitor's locker room?"

"If I tell you, will you stuff my body in it? I don't wanna die anymore, Mister. I've finally reconciled with my cute wife, Hatsu. Please spare me."

"If you don't spill the directions now, something red will be spilling soon.." Sougo teased.

"Just turn left around the corner and it's the first room on the right. You can't miss it."

 _Thud._

Sougo watched the old man fall unconscious after the back of his neck was struck. He would've moved the man's body to a more inconspicuous area of the room, but the warm, yellow puddle that had formed around his shoes told him otherwise. He put his weapon, which was only a pen, back into his pocket and left for the locker room.

After stealing an extra janitor uniform from one of the open lockers, Sougo decided to learn the layout of the building and the staffs' routines. He casually blended in with the hospital staff for a week. His stunning good looks turned many heads, male and female. The men were jealous while the women were easily swooned.

Unfortunately, every case had an exception.

 _Yagyuu Kyubei._

He read the name tag of that eye patch-wearing receptionist currently on duty. After multiple attempts at throwing out vicious words in a seductive tone, her face remained unamused. He didn't doubt his skills or his male intuition, which told him that this was a woman in spite of the male outfit she wore. Perhaps, he needed to try a different method.

"Is there anything you want?" He cut straight to the point.

Kyuubei stared at him dumbfounded, wondering why he was acting so serious all of a sudden.

"Well," she started. "There is one thing _you_ can give me. That is, if you're willing to."

Just then, one of her nosy coworkers, Toujou Ayumu, appeared in the hallway. She made sure to lower her voice enough so that Ayumu wouldn't be able to hear and reproduce her words like a megaphone.

"I want a long-" She started.

 _Long?_

"Rectangular-"

 _Rectangular?_

"Dark object."

 _Dark object?_

Sougo thought of those three characteristics in one object and quickly came to a conclusion.

 _If it's something women love, then that sounds like chocolate?_

"I got it. I'll give it to you tomorrow."

"Really? That fast?" She confirmed. "You have no attachment to it?"

"Yeah. Money's not a problem nowadays. Why not? Care to give me Kuraba's files now?"

"Sure. Sure."

When she handed over _that rascal's_ files, he was met with one large red bolded word.

 **[CLASSIFIED]**

Only a giant red stamp appeared in his file. Other than his full name, no other information was listed on his file, much less, his room number.

Sougo sighed.

 _It's a dead end._

[ooo]

Even though the files were of no help to Sougo, he kept his promise the following day. He bought the longest, most expensive brand of dark chocolate he could find for Kyuubei. Then, he never bothered with the receptionist again. He didn't even notice Kyuubei's disappointment when she looked inside the bag that he handed over.

Instead, he turned his attention to the hospital staff. He was certain one of the gossiping nurses in the hallway knew about Kuraba's whereabouts. As he was waiting for the right time to intrude in their circle, one of the five nurses turned her head towards his direction. She had a head of lavender hair and a pair of striking red glasses.

"Someone there, Sa-chan?" The blonde-haired nurse with a long scar across her left eye followed her co-worker's line of vision.

Sougo instinctively hid behind a corner of the corridor. He wasn't sure why but he felt that those two perceptive nurses would be troublesome.

"I thought I saw that girly-looking janitor, Tsuki. Even though, he smelled like one of my kind, it turns out he's a shy one."

Sougo couldn't swallow his pride. His Do-S pride, that is.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here." Sougo eyed the two lasciviously.

"I see a bunch of _kittens_ I can play with."

"Hmph." Sa-chan snorted through her nose after eyeing the man up and down. "I think you're too young to be playing with the big girls. Come back in ten years when you grow hair down _there_."

"Really? Why don't I show how you how big my-"

"Ahem." A man's voice cut in. "Sarutobi, I need check in with a recently-admitted patient. Do you have the chart for Kuraba Touma?"

"Yes, Dr. Sakata!" She walked towards him eagerly with the chart in hand. "But, this body of mine also comes with it. Free of charge, of course."

"No thanks. You're a bit too young to be playing with the big boys. Come back in ten years." He mocked her.

"Ah. You were listening to me! Were you jealous, Gin-chan? You're the only one for me! It's impossible with anyone else..."

Dr. Sakata snatched the clipboard from Sarutobi and proceeded to shut out her voice.

No matter how many times he rejected her, she kept trying to cling onto him. Why couldn't she a bit more mild-mannered? Take that Tsukuyo beside her. She never gave him such a big headache. Well, except for that one time…

The hospital was understaffed during New Year's Eve and he had been forced to stay awake for 36 hours. Hoping to rest in the dark break room, he laid down on one of the beds reserved for sleeping staff members and fluffed up the surprisingly soft but bouncy pillow he had settled his head on. He only realized that the pillow was Tsukuyo's chest when it was too late. He was accurately stabbed by multiple scalpels and passed out from the surprise attack. Thanks to that, he had plenty of rest so he wasn't sure what happened afterwards, only that he couldn't quite look her in the eye after that incident.

"Umm. I-I have to check on Room 32's patient. See you later, Sa-chan." Tsukuyo left in a haste. Her ears were visibly red.

Sarutobi didn't bother saying goodbye. When her idol was in front of her, no one else mattered. Frankly, she loses all of her senses and converts everyone into a rival in her eyes. The other nurses also left, not wanting to bother Sarutobi's moment with her "beloved Gin-chan".

Dr. Sakata continued to ignore Sarutobi and read the ID on the janitor's uniform.

"I don't think I've seen you here before." Dr. Sakata commented.

"I was just hired last week." Sougo explained, eyeing the chart in his hands.

Sarutobi sees Sougo staring at her beloved Gin-chan's _gintama_ and blocks his view by spreading her arms wide open as she stood in between them.

"Gin-chan's mine. You might have longer, silkier hair than me, but Gin-chan doesn't go for men." Sarutobi declared.

"Actually, Sarutobi, I think it's time I come out of the closet." Dr. Sakata walked up to Sougo and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"NOOOOOO!" Sarutobi shrieked. "Even if you like men, I'd still like you. I can be your mistress. Your footstool. Anything you want."

Dr. Sakata sighed. He didn't think this idea would fail so miserably. How was he gonna get rid of her now?

"Sarutobi Ayame, please come to the office." A gentle voice belonging to an emerald green-haired robot maid sounded throughout the speakers. "I repeat, Sarutobi Ayame, please come to the office. The director wants to speak with you."

"Tch." Sarutobi wondered if the old hag had already found the latest room that she converted into her and Gin-chan's love suite. She wanted to ignore the announcement, but the director had the power to fire her, it was probably best that she went to her office to avoid being permanently separated from her self-proclaimed man.

"Bye Gin-chan. We won't be apart for long." A few tears dropped dramatically from her eyes as she ran away like an actress from a daytime soap opera.

"Ah, saved by baa-san, again." Dr. Sakata breathed out. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm actually straight so let's pretend this incident never happened, 'kay?"

Sougo nodded and Dr. Sakata walked away. Sougo planned on trailing after him to locate Kuraba's room. Sensing Sougo's presence was still there, the doctor abruptly stopped and turned his head.

"You are straight, right, Sofa-kun?"

Sougo grew visibly irked. A large vein popped up on his forehead. Was it the hair that made him look like a girl?

"I've never been _more_ straight in my life. Are you sure it's the patients that need the CT scans and not you, Doc?"

Dr. Sakata smirked and went on his way again.

 _I really need to cut my hair._

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Call_

[ooo]

* * *

[Behind-the-Scenes Footage]

 **Deleted Scene 01:**

"Actually, Sarutobi, I think it's time that I come out of the closet." Dr. Sakata walked up to Sougo and grabbed his butt. "You see, I'm into men."

"NOOOO!" Sarutobi rejected the idea.

"YESSS! My ship is finally canon!" Kagura was happy with the ad-lib.

 **Deleted Scene 02:**

"You are straight, right, Sofa-kun?" Dr. Sakata wanted to confirm.

"I've never been more-" Sougo started before getting interrupted by Sakata's strange ringtone.

 _I like big butts and I can't deny-_

Sakata hastily rejected the call without looking at the caller ID. "Go on."

"Well, at least, I know you're not into my butt."

Dr. Sakata eyed the back of Sougo's lower half.

"Nah. I can dig that."


	3. The Call

**03 - The Call**

* * *

Dr. Sakata took an elevator to the third floor while Sougo quickly sprinted through the emergency stairs to catch up, almost bumping into a lady clothed in a white medical gown. Sougo was just in time to see Dr. Sakata enter Room 79. He made a mental note of the room's isolated location as it was situated on the farthest corner of the third floor.

[ooo]

Dr. Sakata closed the door, oblivious to the eavesdropping janitor just outside the room. There were no openings to the astonishingly white room. Everything was also organized. Not a single thing out-of-place. Even the blanket was neatly folded without a crease.

He looked at Kuraba's medical chart again.

 _Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D.). Type: N/A._

 _Cause: Undefined._

 _Allergies: None._

 _Other notes:_

 _-No chemical or psychological treatment received prior to admission_

 _-Previously involved in an illegal trade of drugs, women and weapons with Joui extremists_

He smiled. These patients were always a joy to work with. He liked instigating different personalities out of them. Especially, out of criminals. It suited his playful personality the best.

"So, who am I speaking with today?" He asked.

Kuraba narrowed his eyes. Before he could respond, a certain ringtone sounded from just outside the door. Kuraba looked anxiously towards the direction of the sound.

Since cell phones acted as distractions to patients, they were supposed to be banned in the hospital. When Dr. Sakata quickly opened the room to reprimand the owner of the cell phone, he was met with the sight of his eager lavender-haired stalker nurse. He quickly shut the door without further investigation.

"Who was that?" Kuraba inquired with a troubled voice.

"I have bad news." He joked with a serious face. "I'll have to diagnose you for schizophrenia, too."

[ooo]

 _Of all the days that I forgot to turn off my phone…_

When Sougo's phone rang, he quickly put some distance between himself and Room 79. Thankfully, the doctor's stalker had just stepped out of the elevator and had taken his place by the door just in time.

"Hello _ane-ue_." He quickly greeted with the most polite voice he could muster.

The last time that he saw her was when she bade him farewell a year ago, right before he had to go undercover. He realized that he really missed her voice.

"Oh, Sou-chan. Is this a bad time?" She noticed his heavy breathing.

"No. Not at all. I was just-uh-jogging."

"Ah. I see. Make sure to stay hydrated then."

"Did you need something from me, ane-ue?" He filled a styrofoam cup with water at the break room and started to drink it.

"Well...I know you said I shouldn't call unless there was an emergency, but-" his sister paused, "I'm getting married next week and I'm hoping my little brother can be the best man to my groom."

 _Cough. Cough._

Sougo spilled more than half of his water on his jumpsuit once he heard his beloved sister say that she was _"getting married"._

"Sou-chan. Are you okay?"

 _Okay? OKAY?! How was she expecting me to be okay after dropping a bomb like that!_

"Sou-chan?"

Sougo chose his words carefully in order not to make his sister unhappy.

"Anything for you, ane-ue." He spoke carefully. It's not like he ever had the heart to turn down any of her requests. It's just, whoever this groom iz, he'll make sure to torture him once they meet.

His older sister drew out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in.

"I'm glad to hear that. One more thing. Since I can't accompany you the whole time, I reserved two seats for you. Bring a date along to keep you company."

Sougo wanted to sigh. Even though he understood his sister's kind intentions. In the end, it sounded like an unreasonable request. He has never dated before so it sounded like a hassle to get someone for the wedding.

"I'll think about it." He replied.

"I think it's time you start thinking about the future too, Sou-chan."

"Hmm." He solemnly agreed.

His sister ended the call with the excuse of last-minute wedding preparations and Sougo was left to ponder the news.

 _The future, huh?_

With the amount of blood that stained his hands, the future wasn't something he had the privilege of thinking of.

"Requesting a spill clean-up in Room 32." The same soothing voice appeared through the P.A. system. "Again, requesting a spill clean-up in Room 32."

Sougo snapped out of his trance and looked around the janitors' break room. The sun had long set and no one else was around so he took it upon himself to head to Room 32 with a mop and a bucket in hand.

He headed to the second floor where all of the rooms were shared by a maximum of three patients. Due to lack of funds, only the third floor had private rooms for patients. Once he reached the first room on the right, he overheard a conversation that made him stop in his tracks.

[ooo]

Two minutes ago.

"Nn." The young lady on the bed was stirred awake when she sensed the presence of a man behind her.

"Who-who is it?" She asked, unable to see in the room with the lights off.

"Shh." The man tried to undo her hospital gown from the back.

"Are you a doctor?" She asked without suspicion.

"Yes. Now stay still. I need to do a full body check-up." The man assured her.

 _Splash._

Before the male patient knew it, he was covered in ice cold water. Sougo had poured the contents of his bucket at the man before he could go further with his misdeeds.

"Why don't you calm down, Mister? The night is still young. _I'll_ play with you instead." Sougo threatened him with the handle of his mop aimed at his throat.

"I give. I give. I'm sorry. Whenever I get _these_ urges, I just can't stop."

"I'm afraid _sorry_ doesn't cut it." Sougo held the mop's handle tighter against his neck until the man passed out.

He dragged the body to a pillar in the center of the room and tied his hands around the pillar using the man's bed sheets. He pulled out a permanent marker from his coveralls and started to draw on the man's face.

"Mister, what are you doing?"

She watched him write 'I'm sorry' on the man's forehead then 'I like' on the man's left cheek.

"Giving out justice." He finished the sentence by drawing a long oval sandwiched by two smaller circles on his right cheek.

"Justice? Wasn't he a doctor?"

"Doctors don't give check-ups in the dark like this." He kindly explained but the puzzled look on her face remained.

" _That_ is called a molester." He taught her. "Guys like these need to be tied up and humiliated to kill their ego. The marker should last for a week. Try to avoid this type of scum in the future."

"Okay, I will." She complied. "Then are _you_ a doctor?"

"No. I'm just an ordinary janitor. Doctors wear white coats. Next time, check if someone is actually a doctor if their ID matches their face."

Kagura vigorously nodded her head like a schoolgirl attending lecture.

"Then, is _he_ a doctor?"

Sougo watched her line of sight directed at the door.

"Yes. _That_ one is a doctor. Good job. You learn fast." He praised her by patting her head. "Can't say much about his sexuality, though."

Dr. Sakata smirked at the scene.

"And I can't say much about _you_ , either, _ordinary_ janitor." He countered. "Let's talk outside."

After Sougo coaxed the lady into sleeping, he closed the door to her room.

"I admit I had my suspicions when I first met you so I tried to look up your medical files."

Sougo watched the doctor open up a folder and read it out loud in the hallway.

"Okita Sougo. Twenty-two years old. Unmarried. Healthy as a dog until July 27 five years ago. It seemed like you were in some sort of a fight, resulting in severe internal bleeding and several stitches on your back. You were practically covered in bandages after the doctor was done with you."

"What do you want?" Sougo grew wary of the doctor.

"Not much really. You see, the old hag...err...I mean director's been receiving several complaints of harassment from a janitor, a receptionist and a nurse. In only one week's time, too. That's a record."

"Go on." Sougo urged.

"I wanted to warn you that the director's onto you. Think of it as returning the favor for using you as an excuse earlier." The doctor explained. "She wants you gone and as her right-hand man, I have to make sure that happens."

"I see. I'll go." Sougo complied.

"Really?" The doctor was surprised. He expected Sougo to put up some sort of resistance before being forced to leave. "Alright. I'll leave you to it, then. Just keep in mind that you're banned. I better not see you around here again. Is that clear?"

"Sure. Sure." Sougo replied nonchalantly.

There wasn't anything he could do if his cover was blown. He'll just have to trust this perceptive doctor to find out that Kuraba's been lying about his condition and release him to police custody.

"Just one more thing." Dr. Sakata added. "Thanks for saving the little lady. I owe you one."

"I'll keep that in mind, then."

The two parted ways. Sougo headed to the break room and changed out of his jumpsuit. He didn't have any other belongings to take with him except for the clothes on his back. He yawned as he exited from the back door of the hospital, feeling at ease, that the case will be closed soon.

Right before the door shut, someone else had exited.

He didn't bother turning around. He figured it was just another one of the staff leaving late.

But when the footsteps kept following him down the block, he started to grow suspicious. He abruptly stopped and so did the pair of footsteps. When he continued to walk again, the other person did too. Finally, he decided to turn around. Standing a few feet away was a lady in a white medical gown, staring back at him as if she was a deer caught in headlights.

"Miss escapee, why are you following me?"

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Store_

[ooo]


	4. The Store

**04 - The Store**

* * *

"I-I haven't thanked you for earlier." She replied meekly.

He looked at her standing under the streetlight. He didn't clearly see her face earlier in the dark, but now that her features were in full view, he realized that she was also the same lady he had almost bumped into when he sprinted through the emergency stairs earlier in the day.

She seemed to be a few years younger than him. Not by much, though. He also noted how her long vermillion locks fell in a disarray over her face and the innocent pair of deep blue eyes peeking out of those strands. She also didn't seem to harbour any bad intentions, but he wasn't looking for company to take care of, either, especially with his line of work as a ronin.

"No need. Just go back." He pointed in the direction of the hospital.

"I-I don't want to." She admitted.

"Do you have family you can live with?"

Her eyes shifted to the ground. "I don't have any relatives left."

"Friends?" He continued.

"Do friends I've made in the hospital count?"

Sougo looked at her with a complicated expression.

"I won't force you to go back." He understood that a psychiatric hospital wasn't really the most comfortable place to live in. "But, do you know what you're gonna do from now on?"

She shook her petite head vigorously.

"You're _free_ now. Live life how _you_ want. Get a job, travel. Anything goes. Best of luck with whatever it is. Let's part ways, okay?"

Sougo turned his back on her and continued to walk. He missed seeing the brief smile that passed through Kagura's lips. It was as if she finally heard the words that she wanted to hear the most.

Just when he thought that he was finally free of her, he heard her footsteps start behind him again.

"What are you doing?" He asked, visibly irked.

"I'm living life how _I_ want." She mimicked him.

Upon hearing her response, Sougo felt his knees give out. He used both hands to support himself against a nearby wall. He felt the urge to knock his head against it. He should've chosen his words more carefully.

Sougo sighed and looked at her from the side. She stood there, clearly worried about him. He could read her face like a book. She was too innocent, ah.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to follow strange men?" He asked.

"Yes. But, Mami also told me it was okay to follow _handsome_ men."

Sougo blinked twice at that statement. _What was her mother teaching her?_

Sensing how stubborn she was, he gave in. He did need a date for the wedding. Although, this isn't quite what he imagined.

"Just don't regret it afterwards." He warned her.

He turned his back on her, lowered himself to a squat and extended his arms in expectation.

"What are you doing?" She eyed his back curiously.

"Get on. I can't have you walking around in your bare feet."

Kagura clumsily climbed on his back.

"Thanks, mister." This was the first time she had a piggyback ride so the view from above his head made her feel giddy as if she was the queen of this district.

Meanwhile, Sougo couldn't deny the presence of her chest hitting his back. He could tell that she was quite well-endowed. He felt a bit guilty of taking advantage of her innocence as if he had just kidnapped her to be his date even though her actions were voluntary.

Sougo inwardly sighed.

 _Women were so troublesome._

He decided to talk about something else to stop such thoughts from entering his head.

"The hospital never banned patients from wearing shoes. Why don't you wear any?"

"I-I don't like shoes." She admitted.

From the lack of further explanation, Sougo sensed that it was a sensitive subject.

"So, where are we going?" Kagura mentioned, trying to change the subject.

"Department store. We need to get you some shoes and probably a few outfits too. You'll attend my sister's wedding with me."

Kagura gasped in surprise. This will be her first time attending a wedding. Her mother had a shotgun wedding so she didn't know much about the actual ceremony but she was always curious about how it was like from the happy expressions that couples displayed on television. In other words, she was excited.

"Since you followed me voluntarily, I won't accept no for an answer." Sougo was relieved that he had one less problem to deal with. He wasn't going to let her get away easily.

"No worries. I've always wanted to go to a wedding. But, mister, do you not have anyone else to go with?"

Sougo stopped. For someone as naive as her to be so keen at a time like this surprised him.

"I'm not gonna answer that." He continued to walk again.

"So I guess you're kind of like me, then...By the way, can I know the name of Mr. Lonely?"

"It's Sougo. Okita Sougo." He corrected.

"You can call me Kagura-chan, Mr. Lonely."

"Cut it out or I'll drop you." Sougo threatened.

"Oh-kay." She reluctantly stopped with her teasing.

The two chat idly on the way to an open clothing store. Their conversation centered on Sougo explaining anything that Kagura was pointing at. She had very little knowledge of the outside world. He assumed that the poor girl's parents had mainly kept her indoors most of her life due to her disorder.

[ooo]

Oedo Mart was the name of the store they had entered. Kagura was initially blinded at the bright lights but grew visibly excited at everything she saw. A few heads turned their way when they walked through the aisles. Sougo felt that their clothes made them stand out a bit too much, mainly the girl on his back.

They headed to the fitting rooms where a sales assistant stood, looking at them dubiously from afar. She was unsure if the girl was an actual patient or the couple was cosplaying.

"Couples these days, ha. No virtue, at all." She mumbled under her breath before quickly pulling out her business smile once they came closer. "Hello. How may I help you?"

Sougo placed Kagura on the ground and let her stretch.

"We need a few new outfits for _her_." Sougo mentioned, pointing his head towards Kagura.

"Hi, Miss Tae!" Kagura enthusiastically greeted as she read the woman's name tag. "You're so pretty."

"Oh, this suit is just a work uniform." Tae blushed, quickly changing her opinion of the two. After getting flattered, Tae grew passionate with her work.

"You should see what I'll get for you. On that note, what kind of event will you be attending?"

"Wedding." He answered.

"Are you two getting married?" The saleslady held a skeptical look on her face.

"It's my sister's wedding." Sougo clarified with the nosy saleslady as he felt his phone buzz in his right pocket, signalling that a text message had just been received.

"I have some business to take care of first so I'll be right back." He mentioned to Kagura, before turning one last time towards to the saleslady. "Add in a few day-to-day outfits, too. Ones that make it easy to run in."

After he left for the store's entrance, Tae took a good look at her young customer to measure out her three sizes. She was quite envious of the young girl's body, but she kept the business smile plastered on her face.

"Let's start with the dress for the wedding. Is there anything in particular that you like to wear?" Tae asked as she pulled a rack filled with dresses that fit the young girl's size well.

While Kagura riffled through the dresses, she couldn't help but notice the price tags.

"One, two, three...Six zeroes!" She counted. It wasn't just one of the clothes, it was the whole rack.

"Umm, Miss Tae. As pretty as these clothes are, aren't they...umm...expensive?"

"Tsk. Tsk. It seems you don't know much about men, miss. One way to see how much a man loves you is through his wallet. This is a test. If he's willing to spend this much, it means that he really likes you."

Kagura felt that there was something not quite right about that statement.

"It's not like that. We just met recently. I'm not his girlfriend." She blushed at the word "girlfriend".

"Not his girlfriend and he's already inviting you to see his family? He moves fast. I suggest you watch out for him. All men are wolves. Except for mine, mine is a gorilla."

 _A gorilla?_

With Tae ranting about her gorilla fiancée, Kagura grew more confused at the meaning behind the word "love". Was it the same feeling you have towards a pet?

Kagura resumed looking at each of the dresses hanging in front of her until she spotted a white cheongsam. Tae noticed that her customer's eyes lingered on that dress, but made no attempt to pick it up.

"Do you want to try this one?" Tae asked.

"Oh. Uh. No. It just reminded me of someone."

"There's no need to be shy." Tae pulled off the dress from the hanger and handed it to her customer. "Go on. Change into it and we'll see how it looks. I have a good eye for these things. I think it'll suit you."

After being pushed into one of the fitting rooms, Kagura pulled off her white medical gown, slipped into her new white dress and pulled her hair back before looking at the mirror. As expected, she resembled her late mother.

The dress was a bit fancier than the one her mother wore in her memories. There was a small opening at the center of her chest bordered by three, small red roses connected to a red stitch that traversed to her left hip then to her right thigh and finally, descended to the hem of her dress. The outlines of red roses and gold leaves appeared to grow in size as they followed the red stitch down.

This short-sleeved dress was also smooth to the touch. Most likely, it was made out of silk. The last notable difference was the appearance of only one long slit on the right side of her dress, revealing just one of her slender legs.

Before gloomy feelings could return at the thought of her late mother, a certain lonely man's voice entered her head.

"You're _free_ now. Live life how _you_ want. Get a job, travel. Anything goes..."

 _He's right. I can't live like I'm stuck in the past anymore._

"How is it?" Tae asked from the other side of the door, wondering why her customer was taking so long to appear. "Does it fit properly? Are there any areas you'd like to adjust?"

"Ah. No. It fits well." Kagura opened the door and stepped out.

Tae circled around her. "It looks like it was tailored just for you!"

"Thanks." Kagura blushed.

"By the way, is there a secret as to how you get those?" Tae asked while poking at Kagura's chest.

Kagura let out a moan as Tae grew more curious and started to explore the chest in front of her with both hands.

"Seeing that they're so bouncy. They're real right?"

"Ugh. Yes. Could you-could you please stop, Miss Tae?"

"Ahem." A familiar man's voice interrupted the two. "I leave you alone for a few minutes and you're already in trouble."

Tae, still fondling Kagura, looked behind her and spotted Sougo with an irritated look.

"I recall asking for customer service, but not _this_ type of service. Do I have to report you, Miss?"

"Ah. No. We were just kidding around. Besides, it's not like you haven't thought of touching these melons yourself."

 _Well, I can't deny that._

While Sougo contemplated on what to say next, Kagura's face grew a deeper shade of red. With Tae distracted, she finally escaped this surprisingly strong woman's grasp and quickly ran into the fitting room, locking the door behind her. She took off her dress and changed back into her medical gown as fast as possible. She liked the new dress, but she was slightly fearful at what might happen again if she wore it.

"So, uh, are you two done with the outfits?" Sougo asked.

"Not quite. There's still the day-to-day outfit, shoes and other lady necessities."

"Try to hurry it up. We still have to make it in time for the bus at eight tonight. It's almost seven."

After being rushed by Sougo, Tae hastily completed the wedding outfit with a pair of gold high heels and earrings with red crystals, then picked a plain red dress that resembled the white dress, along with black pants and black slip-on shoes that even Kagura felt inclined to wear.

"How is it?" Kagura asked as she twirled in her new day-to-day outfit.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." He casually answered.

Sougo wasn't too fond of shopping and wanted to quickly head out so he simply answered with the first thing on his mind.

Tae couldn't just stand to watch the naive couple so she whispered something in Sougo's ear.

"If you're not careful, I might just take her away from you."

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Ride_

[ooo]

* * *

 **Deleted Scene 03:**

(While filming the scene where Sougo gives Kagura a piggy back ride...)

"Hey Sadist! Aren't your hands a little too low?" Kagura asked.

"Hmm. Is it?" Sougo gives Kagura's bottom a good squeeze. "Nope, feels just right."

Kagura starts to bite Sougo's head off.

"Are you giving me a _hickey_?" He teased.

"Pah." Kagura wiped her mouth. "You taste awful."

"Really? Well, you'll get used to the taste after awhile."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly as it sounds." Sougo grinned.

 **Deleted Scene 04:**

(As a consequence of the first deleted scene..)

"On that note, what kind of event will you be attending?" Tae asked.

"Funeral." Kagura answered before Sougo could. "His, to be exact."

 **Deleted Scene 05:**

(More of Kagura's revenge on set...)

While Sougo stood at the spot that the two women left him, he received some strange looks from the passing customers. He looked around him and realized that he'd been standing in front of a mannequin wearing a shirt that said "I'm with stupid" and an arrow pointing in his direction.

"The f&*%, who changed the set again?" Sougo yelled.

* * *

 **Q & A with the author and Kagura**:

 **Author:** Thoughts on love?

 **Kagura:** What's "love"? Is that something edible?

 **Author:** My poor, poor child. I've made you suffer, haven't I? It's okay. I'll make it up to you...

 **Kagura:** O-kay. I only agreed to this interview for the _sukonbu_. Where is it?

The author pulls out sukonbu & watches Kagura take the bait.

 **Author:** [pats head] I'm gonna miss innocent Kagura, ah.


	5. The Ride

**05 - The Ride**

* * *

Kagura and Tae anxiously watched Sougo come up to an open register. When the total price came up (with a whopping seven zeroes), Sougo didn't even bat an eyelash and paid for all of her clothes with a single card.

"What did I tell you? That one's a keeper." Tae nudged Kagura's side.

"No. That one's my wallet." She felt she had hit the jackpot with this one.

"Now, if I could just get him to buy me snacks later."

"Alright. Alright." Tae gave in as they headed to the register where Kagura picked up the bags. Tae knew there was no use in trying to persuade the girl so she could only give them a push. "Oh. Don't forget this bag too."

Tae's outstretched hand held a bag Kagura hadn't seen before so she double-checked the contents of her own bags.

"But, we already have everything." She recounted.

"C'mon, just take it. It's a part of a discount." She advised. "Trust me, you'll need it for later."

"Oh-kay." Kagura took the bag, still skeptical.

"You just have to wear it when the time is right." Tae continued.

Before Kagura could ask how she could tell when the time was "right", Tae cut her off with a greeting as she bowed, "Have a nice day! Please come again."

Watching the couple walk away, Tae did a happy dance. Her eyes had already turned into large dollar signs. She was finally able to reach her quota for the month so that meant she was gonna get a big bonus this month.

In case anyone was wondering, she didn't feel guilty about feeding a fresh rabbit to a hungry wolf at all. She trusted her gut feeling with these things. They were rarely ever wrong. Cooking was the only exception, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud, though. Getting back on track, why else would she have kept the gorilla alive for so long if she didn't see herself growing old by his side?

[ooo]

Sougo and Kagura found themselves lost in their own thoughts as they waited for Bus 522 to come to the bus stop.

Sougo's eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't understand why that saleslady was so nosy. Then, he found himself unconsciously glancing towards the girl beside him. He was quite puzzled at the strange attention that seemed to gather around this naive lost pup that followed him around.

At the same time that Sougo glanced towards her, Kagura looked inside the bag that Tae had handed her. She wasn't sure why she needed four extra sets of fancy-looking underwear when she had already bought enough underwear to last a week, maybe even two.

The bus arrived, interrupting their thoughts and they boarded after Sougo showed the bus driver his universal bus pass. The same one granted to those in the police force. This was one of the few benefits he received from helping out the ossan. Sougo headed to an open seat near the back of the bus, and sat closest to the aisle. Kagura followed him and sat by the window on the same seat. She had her eyes glued to the window as the bus started to move and pick up speed.

"Let me guess, first time on the bus, too?" Sougo asked.

Kagura eagerly nodded her head, not wanting to miss a single thing that passed by. Even though the sun was already setting, there was still enough light to see the world outside.

Sougo grinned. He liked how simple she was. No need to make small talk. Very easy to entertain. But, before Sougo could continue his relaxing bus ride, someone else boarded the bus at the bus stop a few streets down to trample on his peace.

"Kagura-chan?"

He heard a boy that, oddly enough, resembled him.

"Hisashi-kun?" Kagura turned towards the boy. "What are you doing here?"

"My doctor said that I've gotten a lot better after my relapse so he released me. What about you? You were just admitted to the psych department two weeks ago, how come you're out so early?"

"Hehehe. About that…" Kagura trailed off as she turned her eyes towards Sougo, who raised an eyebrow as if asking her who this nuisance was.

"I think I should introduce you two. Okita-san, this is Hongou Hisashi. I became friends with him when I was wandering around the hospital." Then, she turned back to the boy. "Hisashi-kun, this is Okita Sougo. I owe it to him for helping me escape from the hospital so I'm accompanying him to his sister's wedding as a favour."

Hisashi didn't believe that the story was that simple as he assessed the man in front of him with his own eyes.

There were three things that he didn't like about him. One, they were eerily similar to one another. So at a quick glance, they could even be mistaken as brothers. Two, even though they looked alike, the air was different around the man. It made him seem mature and confident. Like, he was used to twirling women's hearts around his fingertips. Three, another striking difference between them were those piercing red eyes. They look like they had not only witnessed hundreds of battles before, but managed to survive through it.

This man was dangerous through and through. He didn't like this situation, at all. There was no way he could let the girl that he had grown quite fond of, be alone with this man.

"Kagura-chan, do you mind if we talk in private?" Hisashi signalled to her with his eyes.

Without saying anything, Kagura looked towards Sougo and pleaded with her eyes.

He could tell when he wasn't wanted. Taking the hint, Sougo stood up from his seat and walked towards the back of the bus.

Unfortunately, there were no more seats available so he had no choice, but to stand and hold onto one of the handles attached to the roof of the bus, and send a glare towards the boy who was now occupying his seat.

As he watched them laugh together, he became curious about their relationship. Sougo barely knew Kagura so it made sense that she referred to him by his last name. However, she referred to that kid by his first name even though they, also, have not been acquainted for long.

[ooo]

Before steering the conversation to his true interest, Hisashi told Kagura about a funny story involving the sunglasses-wearing janitor. The children that shared Hisashi's hospital room had pranked the janitor shortly by pretending to be dead after she left his room. The pair laughed at the recollection.

Hisashi caught his breath and finally got straight to the point.

"Kagura-chan, I want you to be honest with me." Hisashi looked straight into Kagura's deep blue eyes before asking, "Has he threatened you or taken advantage of you in any way?"

Kagura shook her head vigorously.

"Not at all. I was the one who insisted following him. Okita-san may not seem like it, but he's actually taken good care of me." Seeing the doubtful look still lingering on Hisashi's face, Kagura continued. "Let's see. He carried me on his back so I wouldn't hurt my feet. He bought me the clothes I'm wearing now and also my dress for the wedding. I even have a ton of underwear now. Wanna see?"

"Ah. No. I don't think that's a good idea." Hisashi quickly closed the bag that Kagura was about to open. If she continued any further, he was afraid he'd get a nosebleed.

Kagura watched Hisashi's face turn completely red, even his ears. "Is something wrong, Hisashi-kun?"

Hisashi took a big gulp to calm down his nerves. He often thought Kagura was too naive for her own good. It was one of her charming points. He was glad that hadn't changed since she last visited him. However, in this case, it was obviously time to draw the line.

"Listen Kagura-chan. Don't ever show that to a man. Especially, not that one over there." He tilted his head towards Sougo, who was still sending (metaphorical) daggers towards him. "Not unless he's your lover." He wanted to add, but decided against it. Maybe a later time would be best. Once he's eliminated all of his competition.

Kagura was perplexed. She had a lot of questions going through her mind.

 _Why was Hisashi-kun saying the opposite of Ms. Tae? And, who am I supposed to believe?_

While lost in thought, Kagura lost her balance and felt herself falling sideways towards the window as the bus came to a screeching halt. Hisashi wrapped an arm around her head to prevent it from hitting the window pane.

"That was close. Are you okay, Kagura-chan?" He asked out of concern.

"Ah. Yes." Kagura blushed at their close proximity.

Hisashi's cheeks also blushed when he realized he was just an inch away from making contact with her lips.

The blushing pair failed to recall the lone man staring at them from the back of the bus whose cold aura had turned the air frigid around him. Even icicles had formed around the glass.

Thankfully, the bus driver's following orders changed the mood before the rest of the passengers froze to death.

"Just relax everyone. Another car collided with us so we'll need to evacuate the bus. Please help your neighbour if they're injured. Let's do this in an orderly fashion." The sunglasses-wearing driver put down his microphone and helped the elderly leave first.

Just as the bus driver helped the first passenger down the stairs by the exit, a group of men with mohawks appeared to block the door.

"Nuh-uh-uh. 'Fraid I can't let you do that. We're taking the passengers of this bus hostage, you see." A man sporting a red mohawk and spiky shoulder pads spoke with a pink bandana over his mouth. "Now get back to your seat, else you want to be a madao."

"Eh? I am Madao." The driver responded.

The man with the red mohawk was unamused and pointed his gun towards the driver who gave out a nervous laugh and complied, pulling the passengers back into the bus. The bandit with the red mohawk ordered his goons as the leader of the gang. From his orders, several suitcases were brought from their van to the inside of the bus.

"As long as everyone here behaves, no one will get hurt." The leader announced.

"And how long will that be?" Madao asked on everyone's behalf.

"As soon as the police officers chasing us accept our demands and let us go." The leader answered.

Just then, three police cars surrounded the bus. Their sirens were blaring at full blast. One of the officers sporting V-shaped bangs stepped out of the middle car with a megaphone.

"Perfect timing. It's show time." The leader's heart beat raced as he watched the officers spill out of their cars. He was looking forward to this.

[ooo]

 **Up Next** : _The Arrest_

[ooo]

* * *

 **Deleted Scene 06:**

While filming the glaring scene, an accident had occurred on set and Hisashi had to be sent to the hospital by ambulance. Meanwhile, Sougo was reprimanded by the director.

"Oh. So, 'sending daggers towards him' was not meant to be taken in the literal sense." He pretended to realize too late. "Gotcha. Won't happen again."

Overhearing their discussion, Kagura fumed. "Sadist! You dumb*ss! If Hisashi-kun dies, you're also going to die. From my bare hands!"

"Relax, China. I knew you'd act this way so I intentionally avoided his vital points. He may be in critical condition for now, but he'll recover." That is, however, depending on the doctor's skills.

 **Deleted Scene 07:**

(After Hisashi returned from the hospital)

While the film crew outside was busy filming the car colliding with the bus, Kagura was drinking her Yakult through a straw. The driver accidentally hit the bus on the wrong side causing Kagura to fall on Hisashi while her Yakult flew at an impossible route towards Sougo. Moving off of Hisashi, she feels the dark aura from the back of the bus and sees a dripping wet Sadist glaring at her with her Yakult bottle still on top of his head.

"Bwahahaha." She rolled on the floor laughing. "Cat got your tongue, Sadist? Karma's a b*tch."

 **Deleted Scene 08:**

(Right before the scene where Hisashi and Kagura almost kiss)

Seeing the camera zoom in on the boy-girl pair at the front of the bus, Sougo quickly and quietly made his way over to their seat and just as the police car crashed into the correct side of the bus this time, he replaced Hisashi with himself and prepared to go all the way in that kissing scene with China.

With his eyes shut, he closed the distance between them and felt a pair of stiff lips.

 _Was China that nervous, she turned into the wood?_

"Bwahahahaha." Then he heard China's maniacal laughter. "I can't believe he fell for it."

Opening his eyes, he saw a block of wood where China used to be.

"Hi-5, Zaki! I can't believe that substitution technique you taught me would come in so handy."


	6. The Arrest

**06 - The Arrest**

* * *

"Oi!" An officer with unique V-shaped bangs projected his voice in the megaphone but didn't hear it amplified. "Is this thing on?" He directed the question to the plain-looking officer sitting in his car's passenger seat.

"It was working the last time we used it at the-" Yamazaki clamped his mouth shut just in time.

If the Vice Chief found out that he and his fellow co-workers had been attending Otsu's concerts ever since the competition to be Otsu's official fan club, committing seppuku would be the least of his worries.

"I mean we barely have any funds left over after each of the members take their salary. The equipment's ancient. It's bound to break down, Hijikata-san."

"You're right." Hijikata acknowledged him.

Yamazaki couldn't help but think that the Demonic Vice Chief must've been possessed. Else, how could such a demon agree to his words so easily?

"Not only about the equipment, though. The members are broken, too."

It was then that Yamazaki realized that he'd spoken too soon.

Hijikata turned his attention back to the gang of Mohawk robbers in the bus full of civilians and shouted using his natural voice.

"This is the Shinsengumi! We've got you surrounded! Release the hostages and return the money quickly and no one gets hurt!"

The leader of the Mohawk gang snorted.

"Like I'd believe anything the dogs of Bakufu say." The Mohawk leader and his subordinates laughed. "But more importantly, police dog, do you really think those V-shaped bangs make you look as cool as Vegeta? The mohawk is what's trending these days. You should really change your look."

Hijikata resisted the urge to throw the broken megaphone at the bus for fear of putting the civilians in danger if he angered the robbers. The two officers continued to observe the robbers, waiting for the right time to barge in. The Mohawk leader was currently moving his hands through his red hair to spike his already tall mohawk.

At the sight of the said mohawk, Yamazaki started to reminisce about his own youth as Mountain Zaki. "You have to admit, Hijikata-san. Mohawks are _really_ cool."

"Uh-huh. Seeing that you're so fascinated by his hairstyle, why don't you take a closer look?" Hijikata suggested, before pushing him into the den of robbers inside the bus.

 _Thump._

"Ugh." Yamazaki's knees landed on the bus' cold hard floor. "Ehehehe." He laughed nervously as he stared at all of the guns pointed at his head from every direction.

He could only hold both of his hands up in grief. He would actually prefer being forced to commit seppuku right now.

"So-so, how is everyone doing today?" He tried to start up a conversation.

While the members of the Mohawk gang were distracted by the babbling police officer, a man in a red kimono was signalling to a certain vermillion-haired girl.

"Psst. Kagura-chan." The lady in question turned her head towards the back of the bus to the source of the familiar voice. This was the first time he called her by her name.

She looked at Sougo in confusion. It was difficult to make out the rest of his words from afar. Instead, Sougo proceeded to use gestures to get his point across, going so far as to point at his hip, then at the weak-looking officer on his knees.

"Ah." Kagura gave him an 'okay' signal by raising the last three fingers in her right hand and curling her thumb and forefinger. She then proceeded to drop to the ground and inch forward on her knees towards the officer that was kneeling near the seat ahead of her.

"Wait. Kagura-chan." Hisashi held onto her shirt sleeve, halting her actions momentarily. "What are you doing? Are you really going to listen to _him_?"

She could tell that his voice was full of legitimate concern, but something in her gut told her that she should listen to the man in the back. Ever since she met Okita-san at the hospital, she felt that he was more than worthy of her trust.

"I'll be fine." She smiled and looked directly into Hisashi's blue-green eyes.

She was touched by his actions, which reminded her of a certain somebody who constantly worried about her when she was young. Slowly but surely, she felt his grip loosen on her shirt. "Thanks for trusting me, Hisashi-kun. I know you really care about me. You're like the brother I never had."

While Hisashi questioned when he had fallen from the 'friend' category to the 'brother' category, Kagura had already moved close enough to where the officer was currently being surrounded by the menacing mohawk-sporting men whose backs were currently facing her. She reached her arm in between one of the Mohawk gang member's legs and jostled the sword from the officer's waist.

"Okita-san!" Kagura's crisp voice cut through the air. In one smooth move, she threw the sword towards the back of the bus.

Catching the sword with ease, he unsheathed it in a second and in less than three minutes, he had already swung the back of the sword on every member of the Mohawk gang throughout the bus until their unconscious bodies littered the floor. They weren't able to negotiate their circumstance before they were knocked out.

He heard a clap from the front of the bus which soon erupted throughout the whole vehicle. Looking at the direction of the origin of the sound, he spotted the overexcited pup accompanying him to his sister's wedding bouncing with joy. He could tell she was clearly overjoyed from the one-sided battle that occurred. It felt like he gained his own personal cheerleader.

He watched her weave her way through the aisle to avoid stepping on the unconscious bodies along the way and before he knew it, she had already trapped him into a large bear hug, rendering him completely immobile.

 _This is strange._

There was an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. His heart was beating rapidly at their close proximity. Even though his heart had raced from the thrill of the fight in the past, but never from the innocent touch from the opposite sex. When she pulled away, he found himself looking for her warmth.

"That was amazing, Okita-san! You were just like the samurai I watched on TV, but way cooler. You're the coolest!" She gave him two thumbs up, but seeing that he didn't respond, she grew concerned. "You're not hurt, are you?"

He shook his head to pull himself out of his trance, putting his forefinger in between her eyebrows to flatten the crease that formed, which didn't belong on her usually cheerful face. "I'm fine." The expression on his face softened ever so slightly.

To think that five years ago, he slew his enemies without hesitation, leaving a trail of blood wherever he went. Now, he was afraid of even shedding a single drop of blood for fear of scaring _her_.

 _Life is certainly unpredictable_.

"Okita-san?" The plain-looking officer also made his way towards the pair. "Thanks for saving me when even my Vice Chief had given up."

"Who's given up?!" Hijikata finally got the megaphone working and successfully joined the moment from outside. "I was going to come in at the moment the robbers were distracted with you but someone else beat me to it!"

Ignoring the loud mouth outside, Sougo responded to Yamazaki. "Keep your thanks. I wasn't doing it for you."

[ooo]

After ordering his subordinates to clean up the mess inside the bus from the stolen money to the sleeping robbers and frightened passengers, Hijikata confronted the man in red outside.

"You were the one who saved Yamazaki, right? You have my thanks." Hijikata put out his hand in greeting.

"No need. I was only doing your job _for_ you." Sougo stated prosaically as he placed Yamazaki's sword into Hijikata's hands instead of his own hand. "C'mon, China girl. We're already behind schedule."

Sougo turned his back on the Shinsengumi officers and started to leave with Kagura.

"Hold on a sec. We still need to bring you and your girl back to HQ to help us file a police report on the incident." Hijikata informed them.

The perceived couple stopped walking and looked back. Sougo didn't mind Kagura being called _his_ girl but he didn't have any time left to waste with these useless police dogs.

"And what _if_ I refuse?" Sougo asked in an imposing manner.

"You'll leave us no choice but take you in by _force_." Hijikata declared, ready to use the numerous police officers he brought with him.

Before Hijikata could signal for his men to move, Hisashi stood in front of the pair and offered a solution of his own.

"I'll help you out with the details." He volunteered. "I also witnessed the whole scene in the bus."

"That's right. Let the couple go, Hijikata-san. Seeing them in such a hurry at this time of night, they must be heading to somewhere important." Yamazaki helped along too, giving the pair a thumbs up.

"Fine." An irritated Hijikata spat out. "As long as the details are clear, I don't care _which_ witness talks. The sooner this is done, the better."

He turned and walked back to his car and Yamazaki followed suit after urging Hisashi to bid his farewell to the couple quickly.

Hisashi straightened his back and looked straight into Sougo's eyes. He was still astonished at this man's sword skills. He'd never seen a swordsman who could move as quickly and as precisely as him. Even though the man made him feel small in comparison, he could see why Kagura unhesitatingly put her faith in him. Perhaps, he can trust him, too.

"I'm leaving Kagura-chan in your hands. Don't let me regret it." He warned Sougo then switched his attention to Kagura. "And Kagura-chan, if your date turns out badly, you're always welcome at my place."

Then, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Kagura's waist, trapping her in his chest before Sougo could stop his actions. Clearly, this little boy was provoking him. He was left with no choice but to, once again, glare at the boy who took _his_ girl into those feeble hands of his.

"Take care of your health too, Hisashi-kun." She wrapped her arms around him in response. "Farewell for now."

"You, too." He squeezed his arms tighter around her.

If only he had his own sword right now, he would've quickly made her cheeky friend unable to _ever_ touch her again. Seeing that their hug had gone on long enough, he interrupted the two.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat after checking his phone for the bus schedule. "The next bus in our route leaves in less than an hour. We really need to go."

Sensing Kagura pull away, Hisashi conceded his hold on her and two waved their goodbyes.

"So, Okita-san, how far do we still have to go?" She appeared at his side as he started to walk to the nearest bus stop a few blocks away.

"Well, if things could go smoothly from now on, we'll finally be able to leave Edo and enter the countryside. Then, there are at least five more villages we have to pass before reaching my hometown." He recalled the distance. "That reminds me, now that's it's late July..."

"Hm?" He watched her tilt her head in confusion when his voice stopped. "I was just thinking about our schedule. There's still enough time for a short detour."

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Festival_

[ooo]

* * *

 **Deleted Scene 09** :

To prepare for the scene where she has to _willingly_ hug Sadist of her _own_ accord, Kagura had gone around town, hugging members of the opposite sex that she was either very familiar with like Gin-chan or vaguely acquainted with like Toujou Ayumu. She had no idea that a certain Sadist had caught wind of her actions. So, when she ran up to hug the Sadist on cue from the director, she was surprised that he, very casually, wrapped her arms around her waist even though the script clearly stated that he should stand still, surprised.

"What do you think you're doing, Sadist?" She was waiting for the signal from the director to cut the scene so she could breathe easier.

The distance between their bodies was so close that she had a hard time breathing with her chest so close to the Sadist.

"Just telling the rest of the world that _you're_ **mine**." He whispered into her ears. "I think you've been a _bad_ girl, China. You've been playing around with other men when you already have me. How should I go about punishing you this time?"

"Wha-what do you mean?" _Screw the director. I need to get away from this sadist. Right. NOW._

However, no matter the amount of strength she used to push her body off of his, he only tightened his hold.

"Not now, China. I don't think _this_ is the best distance for us. I think we should get closer-"

Finally, Kagura felt Sougo's grip loosen and he dropped to the ground, rolling in agony while curled in a fetal position to ease the pain in his family jewels that she just kicked.

"For once I think I can finally agree with you, Sadist. I also didn't think _that_ distance was the best for us. _This_ distance is **much** better. Me on top. You on the bottom."

Sougo chuckled in spite of the pain. "I think I'd like that, China."


	7. The Festival

**07 - The Festival**

* * *

"And that's all you know?" Hijikata confirmed.

"Yes," Hisashi responded after recalling everything that occurred on the bus.

"Alright. You've been a great help." Yamazaki concluded. "You're free to go after you sign the witness statement."

Now that the only ones left in the interrogation room were the two police officers, Hijikata tried to put the pieces together. Yamazaki briefly left the room to get some snacks. He returned to see that the Vice Chief was still boring a hole into the written witness statement, the same pose he held when Yamazaki left.

Hijikata felt that the man in red's resemblance to his missing fiancée was strange. Sometimes, there were people in the world who looked like each other but had no familial ties so he dismissed the thought. However, he recalled Mitsuba's nickname for her little brother was _Sou-chan_. That couldn't just be a mere coincidence.

"Okita Sougo. That has to be him." Hijikita muttered.

Slightly nervous, Yamazaki tried to lighten up the mood by sharing his snacks.

"Hijikata-san, I brought back some mayo-flavoured sausages~"

"Don't think I've forgotten that you lost the suspect for the nth time." Hijikata glared at him. "Speaking of, wasn't that suspect wearing a red kimono too?"

Yamazaki froze just as he was about to reach out for his favourite anpan.

"Ah!" He stood up. "It's him! It's him! I know that back from anywhere!"

"And you only recall something that important _now_?!" Hijikata growled at losing a potential suspect when they were within arm's reach. "YAMAZAKI!" He flipped the table in anger. "Seppuku, now!"

[ooo]

"-san! Okita-san!" Sougo was jostled awake by the lively girl beside him.

"Look! Look!"

When he forced his eyes open, the morning light blinded him. At first, he was puzzled. He was used to spending most nights awake, wary of his surroundings. He had planned to remain awake for the rest of the bus trip in case any other incidents occurred, but he unexpectedly gave in to his exhaustion. Not to mention, last night was the most restful sleep he's had in years.

 _Could it be…?_

He looked at the overexcited girl beside him.

Last night, she was pestering him to rest, but he adamantly refused. She even went as far as forcing him to close his eyes and performing her "sure-fire magic spell" on him. He felt her fair fingers make contact with his forehead for a few seconds and the next thing he knew, he had entered dreamland. He didn't believe in magic but whatever she did to him was clearly effective. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

"Okita-san, is this a festival? What is it for? Can we go there?" She urged him while pointing to the bustling scene outside.

Like he predicted, they arrived in time for the last day of the Tanabata festival at a neighboring village. The streets were lined with all sorts of colourful decorations from streamers to lanterns. Since the sky was still bright, they weren't lit up yet.

"Can we visit the festival, please? Pretty please!" She begged.

Sougo watched her pull an irresistible pout.

"You don't need to beg." He rubbed her head. "I already planned to go there with you."

"Yes!" She ran to the exit as soon as the bus reached the bus stop.

"Okita-san, hurry! Hurry!"

Sougo watched her attention switch from the balloon stand, the toy stand and eventually, the food stands. He watched her order several dishes and quickly came over to foot the bill before the owner could scold her.

"Don't run off so suddenly." He warned her.

She grabbed a box of takoyaki from the pile of food in her hands and handed it over to him.

"Is this a peace offering?" He asked.

She eagerly nodded her head like a wounded pup. He accepted the offer and she tilted her head towards him in anticipation. He rubbed it in response. Her actions brought a small smile to his face.

After wandering halfway into the festive street, they reached a temple lined with bamboo trees. Each of their branches was tied with several colourful paper slips that rustled in the wind.

"Say, Okita-san, what is that?" She pointed to the trees.

"Those are wish trees." He explained. "It's a part of the tradition for this week-long festival to celebrate Tanabata Day, which is on the 7th of July."

Sougo watched her make an 'O' with her mouth. Clearly, this was the first time she was hearing this.

"Aren't festivals for celebrating? Why are they wishing?" She pointed out.

"It has to do with the legend on Tanabata Day. There are many versions but essentially, the story is about two star-crossed lovers, Princess Orihime and a cowherd, Hikoboshi who were forbidden to be together by the princess' father, the God of the Heavens. The only time they were allowed to meet was on Tanabata day and only if the weather was sunny that day so the Magpies could form a bridge across the Milky Way to allow them to meet. In short, Tanabata Day symbolizes a desire becoming a reality just like how the separated Cowherder and the Princess could reunite. Hence, the belief is that if you make a wish and tie it to a bamboo tree, then later burn the tree as an offering on the last day of the festival, your wish will come true."

"Then, I'll make a wish, too." She ran off to the lady handing out slips of paper to the guests.

By the time Sougo arrived by her side, she was already busy writing and covering her wish. Then, she quickly tied it to the tree and clapped her hands together in prayer.

 _Kami-sama, if you're there, please grant my wish. I want Okita-san to take better care of himself and also…_

She stole a glance at the young man by her side. She recalled that their journey would soon end after his sister's wedding. Even though they've only been together for a short amount of time, she was hoping that he wouldn't cast her aside so soon.

 _I'd like to stay by Okita-san's side. For as long as possible, please._

Unclasping her hands, she turned around to face him and asked, "Aren't you going to make a wish, too?"

"No. I prefer making my wishes come true myself." He glanced at her thoughtfully.

He was quite content with their current situation. Others may deem their relationship as non-existent, but he knew better. He knew he held a soft spot for this girl and he also knew she trusted him whole-heartedly. Maybe after his sister's wedding, he could formally claim her as his.

"Oh, I see." Kagura noted. "Then, I'll do the same. It doesn't hurt to have Kami-sama on my side, too."

They continued to browse through the stalls and eventually arrived at a stall that piqued Sougo's interest. Watching his gaze focus on the gun-shooting stall, Kagura suggested that they try the game out.

Sougo taught Kagura how to hold the gun and aim at the target, a pyramid of ten cans. The winner who knocks down all ten cans will receive a stuffed bunny half as tall as Kagura. She really wanted to win the prize.

Just as he positioned himself to knock all of the cans and give her the prize that she clearly wanted, his phone rang. He checked the caller ID.

 _Unknown_.

He was surprised the call wasn't from the _ossan_ , Matsudaira, like earlier in the store. Placing the toy gun back down, he excused himself. He found an area close enough to still observe Kagura from afar but also quiet enough to hold a proper conversation without yelling over the festive noise.

"Who is this?" He demanded while watching Kagura hit the first cup on her own.

"Finally. I thought you'd never answer."

Sougo recognized this lazy voice. It belonged to that silver-haired doctor back in the hospital. "Dr. Sakata, how'd you get my number?"

"That was easy. The old hag has contacts underground. She could easily trace any of your details. What's more important is the fact that you stole one of my patients. The little lady, ring a bell?"

"I didn't 'steal' her. She followed me on her own." Sougo corrected.

"That's good. Since you have no emotional attachment to her, you wouldn't mind bring her back now. would you?"

"…" Sougo couldn't agree. "And if I refuse?"

"I'd like to threaten you into bringing her back but with someone of your gruesome past, I doubt that would work on you. Instead, I want you to remember that she's _my_ patient. The poor girl was so withdrawn when she was first admitted. She could barely speak and most of the sentences that came out of her mouth were barely coherent. I diagnosed her with schizophrenia for a reason. Don't be fooled, she needs long-term treatment."

Sougo sighed. He looked at said girl, concentrating on the last cup she had missed earlier. She pulled the trigger, but the cork missed its target by at least two inches from above. He watched her pout and persuade the old stall owner for another set, bragging that her date was rich, which brought a smile to his face. In such a short time, she's somehow managed to weave her way exclusively into his heart.

"So what'll it be, Souichi-kun? We can do this the hard way or the easy way." Dr. Sakata threatened.

Sougo sighed again. The thought of running away with her did pop into his head but forcing the young girl to live the life of a fugitive didn't sound too pleasant. Perhaps, it was selfish of him to keep her by his side when she still needed medical help. After running through all of his other options a few more times, he ultimately made a decision that would put her health first above all else.

"Alright. I'll give her back to you." Sougo finally gave in. "But only after five more days. Remember that favour you owe me? I'll use it now."

"Didn't think that would come to bite me back in the butt now, but fine. You can't go back on your word, you hear?"

"Yeah. Yeah." Sougo ended the call abruptly and stared at the dejected girl who just missed the last can of her sixth round.

For the first five rounds, Kagura had been missing the last cup on the right. Thinking that she had to raise the stakes to change the outcome and take the stuffed bunny that she fervently sought after as it reminded her of her childhood prior to the incident, Kagura proposed a bet.

"Let's make a bet, Okita-san, if I knock down all ten cans in my next round, you'll have to fulfill a wish of mine. But if I miss even one can, I'll fulfill a wish of yours."

"Sounds good." He quickly agreed.

After the call ended, he was already planning to fulfill all of her heart's desires until their last moment together. He wanted her to experience what life was like before the inevitable had to happen. This was the least he could do.

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Bunny_

[ooo]

* * *

 **Deleted Scene 10** :

(When Sougo answered the phone)

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"Finally. I thought you'd never answer." Gintoki responded according to the script but unless Sougo was hearing things, there was some strange music in the background.

 _ **When I walk in the spot,**_

"Dr. Sakata, how-" Sougo tried to complete his line.

 _ **This is what I see.**_

"How-" Sougo's line was interrupted again by an incoming text message from China.

He opened the text and played the attached video. He watched Kagura and Eli appear astonished as they face directly at the screen.

 _ **Everybody stops and they're staring at me.**_

The camera switches to what the two were looking at. It pans upwards a pair of maroon high heels, then a slit of a maroon cheongsam revealed a pair of slim legs.

 _ **I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it.**_

The camera continued to trail upwards towards the figure's back, starting at the ends of their silky black hair all the way to the top of their head. Soon, the figure turned toward the camera and revealed their face.

 _ **I'm sexy And I know it.**_

It was Zura! Sougo started to laugh. He knew the most wanted fugitive by the Shinsengumi, Zura, was no ordinary person but seeing such a serious expression on his face as held the rose in his mouth made him wonder if he lost a bet with China.

"This has been a booty call with DJ Lady Zura and Leader!" Katsura delivered the punchline.


	8. The Bunny

**08 - The Bunny**

* * *

Never had Sougo seen Kagura so serious before as she currently aimed the toy gun at the last cup on her seventh round.

 _Kami-sama_.

Kagura secretly prayed, hoping the gods would give her a blessing. Then, she pulled the trigger and the cork left the barrel. Sougo and the rest of the spectators surrounding the stand watched the cork droop in its path towards the last cup.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, a gust of wind came at just the right time and pushed the cork higher, exactly at its target.

"Yes!" Kagura cheered.

Sougo wondered if the heavens looked fondly at this girl as he watched her jump up and down with her new stuffed bunny. He could barely see her through its limbs as she hugged its neck.

"So fluffy!" Kagura squealed with delight.

"Now, about that request…" Sougo brought up the subject once again.

"Oh, right." She buried her head into the bunny, only the reddened tips of her ears were showing.

"Umm. Could you get me a drink?"

"As you wish." Sougo started to walk off towards a stand where the drinks were sold when he felt a tug on his kimono, then a weight on his back, which he assumed was the girl's forehead.

"Actually, Okita-san, I-um-I…" She stumbled over her words.

The seconds that passed felt like years to Kagura. Eventually, she gathered her courage and said the words that have been lingering on her tongue for too long.

"My actual request is for you to stay by my side. Always. If, you know, that's possible..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes wandered to the side.

If the hug on the bus made Sougo's heart race, then the erratic beating of his heart from this unexpected confession could only be described as a pseudo-heart attack. He definitely wasn't expecting her to be so direct with her feelings.

But, then again, since the first time he met her, she had been nothing but a pleasant bundle of surprises. He acted before a certain lazy doctor's voice could pop into his head to knock some sense back into him.

"Kagura-chan." He turned around to face her, she was tapping the tips of the bunny's arms together, visibly nervous and still avoiding eye contact with him. He wrapped his arms around her vulnerable shoulders, pulling her close to his chest. He lowered his head and whispered into her right ear. "Your wish is my command."

Kagura's heartbeat raced as she felt her face grow warm. His resonant voice was still ringing in her ears. She recognized the disparity between their first hug on the bus and his current embrace.

While on the bus, her thoughts were occupied by anxiety from the hijacking as well as fear for his well-being as he single-handedly faced all of those Mohawk gang members. But now that there were no distractions, her thoughts were fully occupied by him. His steady breaths, his comforting warmth, his broad shoulders, his arms that have saved her many times before, his neck which was at the perfect height for her head to rest and his masculine scent with a faint trace of the hospital's disinfectant.

Maybe it was because she spent most of her life indoors that she had never felt this way before. But even among the friends that she's hugged from the hospital, she couldn't remember having the same heart-racing scenario. She wondered if the feelings surging in her chest was caused by that ubiquitous word, "love". If so, there was one thing she had to try.

Sougo felt her head pull away and he looked down, not wanting to let her go. He saw her eyes were closed and her lips were puckered, clearly waiting for a kiss. He tried his best not to laugh at her efforts and leaned down to seal those lips.

At first, it was an innocent touch, but the more he lingered, the more he desired to explore every part of her mouth, intertwining his tongue with hers while still nibbling on her lips.

If the two didn't need to part to catch their breath, Sougo would've liked to continue for even longer. He had never known that a kiss was this wonderful. He might even get addicted to it. He stared at the girl that was now officially _his_ , wanting to continue. However, she had already buried her head back into her stuffed bunny. This time, he could tell that her whole face was a deep shade of red.

 _Perhaps, I should take it slow…_

Just then, loud whistling sounds were heard from above. The new couple looked up at the night sky and saw the first set of fireworks light up the sky.

"They look like flowers in the sky, don't they?" Kagura pointed out. "They're so pretty."

"Yeah." He replied, nonchalantly. He was long accustomed to watching these fireworks with his sister and was far more interested in watching the girl next to him. He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "But, not as pretty as my girlfriend."

"Oh, you~" Out of embarrassment, she used a little more force than she intended to push him away but his hold on her didn't break so they ended up falling to the ground together. With Kagura on top of Sougo, he couldn't resist teasing her some more.

"Kagura-chan, if you wanted to quickly move to the next step. You should've just asked." The tip of his nose met hers.

Kagura realized that Tae was right. All men were wolves. She wasn't sure what was beyond kisses in a romantic relationship because the shows on the television always cut to the next scene but she had a dangerous feeling that she'd find out too soon if she didn't move away from him. She quickly pulled away, ran off to a nearby stall and pretended to be occupied by the game. Sougo couldn't help but smile at the scene of his little rabbit running away.

The newly formed couple visited every stall that the festival offered as the night sky continued to be lit by the dazzling fireworks display. Their reflection appeared on the surface of the river as the wish trees were pushed to float in little boats downstream.

[ooo]

Entering the dark storage room, Hijikata could tell the place had not been cleaned often enough. The thick layer of dust was enough to kill anyone with or without asthma. He really needed to add more rules to the Shinsengumi code. Workplace cleanliness was going to be a high priority as of today.

Since the files were alphabetized by the last name, he looked at the files under "O". Seeing that Sougo's name didn't appear, he also searched the files under "S" in case the files were mistakenly placed. Like before, his file also didn't appear under this category.

 _Strange. With sword skills that great, there's no way the kid hasn't had trouble with the law before. But, where is his file?_

Just then, his phone rang. The caller ID displayed 'Kondo-san'.

"TOSHI~!" Kondo's voice sounded desperate.

"Hn?" Hijikata nonchalantly replied.

"Matsudaira-san's here for a surprise visit! We're holding a meeting west of the courtyard right now. Where are you?"

"I'm just in the storage room. I'll be there right away."

Upon opening the shoji door, Hijikata made eye contact with his superintendent.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang_.

Hijikata was forced to dance to the tune of his gun.

"What makes you think you can make me wait for so long? I have babes to visit."

"Wait? I was just next door." Hijikata pointed out.

"And that's one more second I'll never get back."

Seeing the old man was in such a good mood, Hijikata thought it was for the best that he kept his mouth shut, hoping the meeting would start soon so it can end faster.

"Matsudaira-san, why did you visit today?" Kondo asked.

"Shut it, gorilla." _Bang. Bang. Bang._ "I'll talk when I want to talk."

Matsudaira cleared his throat and lowered his sunglasses to massage the area between his eyes. It was a rare scene to witness. Clearly, he was distressed.

"Hijikata-san, you've had a run-in with my boy?"

"You have a son?!" Kondo asked. "I thought you only had a daughter."

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

"Shut it, gori. I'm getting really impatient now. I should've sent you to the zoo a long time ago." He turned back to Hijikata. "I want you to stop investigating Okita Sougo."

"Why? I have a feeling this kid is trouble." Hijikata argued.

"He _was_ trouble. Not anymore, though."

"Why are you speaking as if you know him?"

"Because I'm the one who hired him to catch Kuraba."

Hijikata slammed his hands on the table.

"Uh-uh-uh." Matsudaira pointed the gun at Hijikata's forehead and cocked it.

"Let me finish. This all started when I was busy doing overtime at one of my favourite cabarets, Snack Smile…

The night was young and I was skipping way through the town when I stumbled onto what I thought was a corpse leaning on the side of a dark alley. I called out to the kid asking him if he wanted to drink with me. But the darn kid only flipped me the middle finger and told me to [bleep] off.

You'd think with how much blood this kid lost and how bruised his whole body was, he'd have no more strength to tell an old man off, so I knew I had to save him. I could see potential in him."

"Wait. Don't tell me. You saw him as your potential drinking buddy?" Hijikata was prepared for the next couple of shots with a smug smile.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

"No. I could see his potential as an additional member of the Shinsengumi. He had one hell of a fighting spirit. Something most men are missing nowadays along with their balls. Anyways, when I offered him a position to join the squad, he had the audacity to spit at me. At this point, I wish I had shot him."

Matsudaira switched targets between the unsuspecting Chief and Vice Chief.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

"What was that for? We didn't even do anything!" Hijikata cried out.

"Just felt like it. Remembering the scene still pisses me off. Seeing that the punk was too stubborn for his own good, I thought I would do him a favour and just go back to minding my own business when he mentioned how he hated the police. Then, he offered me a deal."

"What kind of a deal?" Kondo readied himself for a shot when Matsudaira aimed at him, but the magazine was empty.

"Ha!" Kondo rejoiced too soon as Matsudaira pulled out a new magazine from his inner coat pocket and shot twice as many bullets than usual at Kondo, leaving behind an outline of the gorilla's previous pose.

"What else would it be? He offered his body in exchange for 500, 000 yen."

"Why would he need that much money?" Kondo asked.

"No. The better question is – You gave it to him?!" Hijikata asserted.

As predicted, another round of bullets showered the two officers.

"Yeah! I did. I thought it was a pretty good deal. I'd rather give it to a dying kid than let my wife waste it on cosmetics and all that brand name [beep] make-up that only makes her look older. You don't understand the woes of being a hard-working husband."

"Yeah. We really don't." The two officers said in unison, followed by another shower of bullets.

"I'm not sure myself what he spent it on, but I got him fixed up in the hospital and we exchanged contact info. Later, I also agreed to pardon his previous offences if he was willing to do me a favour and catch Kuraba."

"Fine. Let's say he really is a good kid. I still can't leave him alone. My fiancée has been missing for months now, and he might be the only living relative of hers. I need to speak with him."

"Wa-wait. Toshi! You have a fiancée?!" Kondo overreacted. "And you didn't even tell me?!"

"I was actually planning to introduce her to you the day she went missing. I've been frantically searching for her ever since. I admit I've been hard on the men because of this. I wanted to arrest every criminal out there for any clues of her whereabouts or at least, minimize her contact with any criminals."

Hijikata tried to explain himself, turning back to Matsudaira. "Matsudaira-san, could you at least tell me if Okita Sougo had an older sister named Mitsuba?"

The elderly man scratched his chin. "Yeah. I vaguely recall him saying something about saving his older sister then, too. I think her name was Mitsuba. Either that or Eva. I tried to convince him to introduce her to me if she was pretty but he ended up passing out at the time."

"Good. At least now I have a lead. Now, do you know where I can find him?" Hijikata asked.

"The last time I spoke to him, he told me that he was heading back to his hometown. As for the name, I can't recall. It was one of those out-of-the-city villages. Too rural for my taste." Matsudaira answered.

Hijikata had a good idea about the rural town that Matsudaira mentioned. It was likely Mitsuba's hometown, the place where they first met.

"Tell me his cell number then I'll take my leave." Hijikata acquired Sougo's contact info and bowed to his superior officers. "Kondo-san, Matsudaira-san."

Only after the shoji door was closed did Matsudaira recall the real reason he dropped by today.

"I forgot to tell him one other thing. The Kuraba admitted to the Oedo Psychiatric Hospital is a fake." Matsudaira laughed at the reality of being senile. "I'm getting old. It must be time for me to retire."

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The House_

[ooo]

* * *

 **A/N** : I have way too much fun with Matsudaira. My parents were joking about their age today. They call themselves "The Deaf One" (dad) and "The Forgetful One" (mom) in my native language.

* * *

 **Deleted Scene 11** :

(When Kagura and Sougo had to kiss)

Kagura heard that it was common knowledge among actors and actresses to eat smelly food (garlic, etc.) right before a kissing a scene. Seeing that she had to willingly kiss Sadist, she prepared herself the best she could. She ate tons of garlic and even borrowed some natto from Sa-chan. In the end, Sougo's eyes started to tear up as he initiated the kiss. The rest of the scene went by surprisingly smoothly.

"Sadist, I saw your eyes water from my bad breath. Why did you bother continuing?" She inquired.

"Because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knows when you'll let me kiss you again?" He stated matter-of-factly.

She couldn't help but throw up the whole day's worth of smelly food when she heard that comment.

After flooding the studio with vomit, she wiped her mouth. "Sadist, I never want to kiss you again."


	9. The House

**09 - The House**

* * *

"Is _this_ the house?" Kagura asked.

The couple had finally arrived at the address that Sougo's older sister gave. Even though this was Sougo's hometown, he couldn't recall this particular house or its owner. He double-checked the message he received from his sister and compared it with the number on the house.

"Yeah. This is it."

Based on the lengthy wall bordering the house, he could imagine the owner was quite wealthy. It made him wonder who exactly is his sister's groom. He opened the gate for Kagura and they headed past the courtyard to the main house.

"Hello! Is anybody home?" He called out at the doorway after sending a message to his sister stating that he had arrived.

Hearing a series of footsteps shuffle on the other side of the door, he watched a familiar sandy-haired woman pop her head out from the other side of the door.

"Sou-chan!" She gave her little brother a bear hug. "I'm glad you could make it."

With her hands firmly pinching his cheeks, she examined his face. "You look like you've been well."

"Yes, ane-ue." Sougo gave a curt smile before introducing his date. "I want you to meet my girlfriend, Kagura-chan."

Lowering the stuffed bunny from her face, she timidly reached out her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Okita-san."

"Oh, she's adorable!" Mitsuba quickly forgot about her brother and switched her full attention to his date, fawning over her fair skin and long, silky vermillion hair. "Nice to finally meet you, Kagura-chan! I didn't know you had a girlfriend, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Sougo briefly explained, purposely not mentioning the important details.

"Come in. Come in." She pulled Kagura's hand towards the house and Sougo followed suit.

The trio made their way to the living room that had a scenic view of the garden in the courtyard. A bamboo water fountain rhythmically dropped its spout onto the base of the pond. Kagura couldn't resist checking out the garden filled with flowers and plants she's never seen before, ranging from lavender to the imported English ivy.

"Be careful. My fiancée loves these plants. He's a big fan of gardening." Mitsuba explained as the Okita siblings watched Kagura run around the garden. "He even grows his own fruits and vegetables indoors."

"Okita-san! There's a fish in the pond!" Kagura was currently examining the pond, going as far as sticking her hand in the water, hoping that the lone fish would graze by her hand. "Ooh. It has such cool scales. Orange. White. Black. All in one fish. Are you lonely, Mr. Fish?"

"My fiancée also loves koi fish. If I recall properly, there used to be more." Mitsuba dismissed the thought to address a more important issue. "Now that there are two of us here, won't it get confusing when you use 'Okita-san' to address the both of us?"

"Oh, right. I just said it out of habit." Kagura buried her head into the bunny again. "Um. I was actually talking to Sou-chan earlier."

The way his nickname rolled off her tongue was incredibly pleasing to his ears. It was far more endearing than when his sister called out to him.

"Oh, Kagura-chan~ How can you be so cute? I just want to eat you up. Just tell ane-ue if Sou-chan teases you, I'll give him a good beating." Mitsuba rubbed her cheek on top of Kagura's head.

Kagura giggled. "He's been nothing but nice to me. I promise."

"Good. That means I taught him well."

"Oh. Did you raise him? Did you two also not have any parents growing up?" Kagura asked.

"Yeah. Our parents died when I was in high school and Sou-chan was only a few years old. He was such an introverted child, I think I ended up spoiling him."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Kagura apologized.

"Don't be. It's all in the past now." Sougo rubbed Kagura's head, too. He couldn't let his sister be the only one hogging his girlfriend's attention.

"Mitsuba-dono." A servant's voice called out to them from the main house. "It's time for lunch."

[ooo]

"Itadakimasu!" Kagura shouted as delved into the long table of food.

"Ane-ue. Why hasn't your fiancée shown up to greet us yet?" Sougo asked, concerned.

"Oh. He's out on another one of his business trips. He said he'll be back in the afternoon." She informed him while receiving the medicine that the house servants handed.

"I see." Sougo placed more meat on Kagura's plate as she gulped down the food.

Mitsuba looked at the loving couple. She wondered if there would be one more wedding she'll be attending this year.

"Sou-chan. You know that I've always wanted a lil' sis."

"Hm." He nodded, fully aware from the first-hand experience of wearing girl's clothes when he was little.

"You shouldn't wait around for her to be taken." She advised him. "I'm sure you know what I mean."

"Yes, ane-ue." He obediently complied. He had a good idea of what his sister was hinting at, but the current state of affairs was more complicated, especially for a bounty-hunting ronin like himself who's made more enemies that he was aware of.

"Ugh. I'm so full." Kagura groaned.

Sougo looked at Kagura's bulging belly. He also wondered if he could make his desire into a reality. He would love for her to bear his children, someday.

He rubbed her stomach to soothe her pain. "Why don't I take you to a room to rest? Ane-ue, is there a room prepared for us?"

"Yes. I'll lead the way." He carried her carefully like a princess and followed his sister's lead.

The room was deep within the mansion, far from the outer courtyard.

"I only requested one room far from the noise. So, um, you two could enjoy yourselves, freely." Mitsuba informed him.

It was then, that Sougo realized that perhaps his rogue ways were also hereditary.

"Thanks, ane-ue. I appreciate the gesture." Sougo heard the shoji door shut and he walked to the center of the room where he laid Kagura down gently on one of the futons prepared and covered her with the blanket.

"Why did you eat so much, you glutton?" Sougo lovingly teased her, then placed her bunny next to her.

"I couldn't refuse something my boyfriend offers." She pulled the covers over her face until only a sliver of her forehead appeared.

Sougo sighed. This girl was definitely bad for his heart and she didn't even know it.

"Alright. I'm heading out. Just go to sleep and the pain will subside." He watched her nod her head frantically under the blanket.

He chuckled. He, too, needed to sleep but with her being so vulnerable in the room, he wasn't sure if he could control himself enough to accomplish that. He asked the servants for the location of the nearest bathroom and took a cold shower.

Wandering around the halls, he found himself on the hallway overlooking the outer courtyard near the entrance earlier. He sat on the wooden walkway and stared at the garden, idly watching the rhythmic tune of the bamboo falling down, hoping it would lull him to sleep.

 _Thump...Thump...Thump…_

Listening to the same sound was tedious, yet he was still wide awake. It was then that he wondered if his girlfriend actually possessed magical hands.

 _Thump...Thump...Thump…_

His eyes widened. He could feel someone's presence from behind him.

However, his sister and his girlfriend had both retired to their rooms and the menacing aura that emanated from this figure was not something a mere servant could possess.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Okita-san." He knew this voice. It was the same voice he'd been trailing for the past few months.

"Fraid I can't say the same about you, Kuraba." Sougo turned around to see Kuraba pointing a gun towards his head. "I've been wondering why the house didn't have a single photo of the owner. So this is where you've been hiding."

"Impressed?" Kuraba gestured to the large mansion while forcing Sougo to move backwards until he was in the garden.

"Should I be?" Sougo retorted. "It's only normal that a drug lord like you have a mansion this big."

"Hahaha." Kuraba laughed. He was clearly having fun toying with Sougo.

"You're not even going to ask how I tricked your beloved sister into being my fiancée?"

"I figured that with your large ego, you'd reveal that on your own."

"Let's see how good your investigative skills are." He motioned for his goons to appear. "Since you know me so well, why don't you guess what I've done?"

"It's not hard to figure out the mind of a drug lord. Previous inquiries I've made about you always involved some sort of a plant. Then, there's the books in your study. The plant guides could easily be numbered over a thousand."

"Go on." Kuraba urged him, pleased to have someone worthy of being his rival, unlike those useless police dogs. He watched Sougo's lids grow heavy.

"I know that my sister has never had a boyfriend, much less a fiancée. Clearly, you've developed a hallucinogen to mess with her head. Now, all you had to do was mix it into her medicine-"

Sougo let out a yawn that he couldn't stifle any longer. "And feed her the garbage that comes out from your seemingly angelic face. By manipulating her, you thought you could get rid of me."

"Bravo! Bravo!" Kuraba praised him. "I'm impressed."

He lowered his gun and watched Sougo's legs become unsteady. In no time, Sougo dropped to his knees on the ground.

"You had _almost_ everything figured out. Unfortunately for you, you've overstayed your visit at my garden and I think it's time for you to sleep."

Kuraba watched the upper half of Sougo's body collapse on the ground. His eyes were closed and his breathing was faint but steady. Kuraba was glad he took extra security measures and filled the garden with sleep-inducing plants.

He leaned down to one of the small bushes at his feet and plucked a small white flower. This was his favorite flower, the gardenia. He found it fascinating how the pleasant scent produced by such a small flower could sedate humans hundreds of times its size. Its pure white petals giving it an innocent look, reminiscent of himself, was a nice bonus.

Kuraba dropped the flower on Sougo's body. "Sweet dreams, my soon-to-be brother-in-law."

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Wedding (Part 1)_

[ooo]

* * *

 **A/N** : My ex-lab partner sent me an Easter photo today (April Fool's Day) and so it went something like this. A rabbit made out of snow collided with a tree trunk and dropped its basket of chocolate eggs on the snow. Happy (late) Easter! Happy April Fool's Day! This was not a fake chapter lol.

* * *

 **Q & A with Kagura**:

 **Author** : Is it true that you filmed the next chapter on April Fool's Day?

 **Kagura** : Yes!

 **Author** : Did you prank Sadist in any way?

 **Kagura** : I did! It's on my phone.

She revealed a photo on her phone.

 **Author** : Ooh. Can you describe what's happening in this photo?

 **Kagura** : Well, this is me on the right. I'm wearing the groom's suit, looking more handsome than any man on Earth after I braided my hair like Kamui-nii. And this is Sadist on the left. He's wearing the bride's gown because everyone's been teasing him about his long hair...and we pretended that his sister couldn't make it for the shoot.

She swiped to the next image.

 **Kagura** : Now, this is the image after he realized he's been pranked. This is me now on the left, still looking as handsome as ever while I eat one of the buns that was used for Sadist's fake breast. This is Sadist on the right, stuffing the bride's bouquet down Madao's throat. He was the ring bearer.


	10. The Wedding (Part 1)

**10 - The Wedding (Part 1)**

* * *

When Sougo's consciousness returned, he opened his eyes and found himself sitting alone in the dark. His hands and legs were restrained to a wooden chair, by, what he felt, was a thick rope. The knot was not tight enough that he couldn't dislocate his wrists to free himself. Clearly, Kuraba was still toying with him.

After freeing himself from the chair, he checked his surroundings in the dark. The room was quite small and the wooden walls were decaying. Even though there were no gardening tools, he assumed that he was in a storage shed, likely on the border of Kuraba's property due to the lack of noise outside.

He tried to open the door, but it was barred from the outside. He flung himself at the door a few times but whatever was blocking the door wouldn't come loose. Since the only available item in the shed was the chair, he also threw it at the door, hoping to make some sort of dent. But, alas, he had no such luck.

The loud noise from the impact must've attracted someone's attention as Sougo heard footsteps nearing the shed. Once he heard the figure outside the door remove the bar, he raised his fists to ready himself for hand-to-hand combat, but was surprised to see a familiar V-shaped hairstyle instead.

"Oh, it's just you." Sougo commented.

"Heh. That's my line." Hijikata remarked.

Seeing that Kuraba's goons weren't patrolling the outside of the shed, he hastily passed Hijikata and headed in the direction of the main house.

"Oi!" Hijikata ran after him. "Not even gonna ask what I'm doing here?"

"Not interested." Sougo didn't even spare a glance his way.

"Fair enough. Well, I wasn't just passing by-" He tried to explain before the two men were blocked off by Kuraba's sword-wielding servants patrolling nearby. "But, before that, I think you'll need this back."

Sougo looked at the sword that Hijikata was currently offering to him. From the hilt and sheath, the sword was clearly his but he remembered leaving his sword back at his maternal home a few streets away to avoid unwanted attention from the police prior to going undercover to catch Kuraba.

"You went to my house?" Sougo inquired right after slashing the first goon down with the back of his sword. "Are all Shinsengumi officers stalkers?"

"Ha. You wish, girly boy." Hijikata slashed the enemy attempting to attack Sougo's back. "I've been looking for you because-"

Another man came at Hijikata's front and he proceeded to cut him down.

"What I was trying to say-" Hijikata was interrupted again by a man that was at his left side, then his right. "What the hell?!"

He wondered where these enemies were coming from. Hijikata thought Sougo still had his back but when he turned around to check on the lad, he realized that the girly boy was no longer there. Instead, he caught a glimpse of his long sandy-haired ponytail as it disappeared around a corner.

"You f*cker!" Hijikata quickly finished off the men that encircled him and followed the boy's trail before the second group of servants could block him. "Dammit, Sougo! Where the hell are you going?!"

When Hijikata was finally able to catch up to Sougo, they were nearing the inner courtyard and the amount of enemies chasing after them had increased exponentially.

Heaving, Hijikata struggled to ask, "Didn't you hear me? Where the hell are you going?"

Turning around to see that the group of servants had quadrupled behind them, he realized that he might actually need help from this police dog.

Finally, Sougo replied, "Kuraba's got my sister and my girlfriend captive. I think they're in the inner courtyard. That's the only place I haven't checked yet."

"What?! Why the hell are you being so slow then? Hurry up! We have to save them!" Hijikata yelled, panicking more than before.

The officer raced ahead, leaving Sougo to wonder where that exhausted officer got the sudden burst of energy from. Sougo figured that Hijikata was here to catch Kuraba, but was confused at Hijikata's sudden interest in rescuing the captive women. Was he simply carrying out his police duties?

The two split up to lose their pursuers and planned to meet by the door to the inner courtyard at the centre of the mansion. Finally losing the angry mob chasing them through the maze-like mansion, they made it to a large wooden door. The two men knew they were at the right place when they could faintly hear wedding music from the other side of the door. They burst through the doors only to be welcomed by the blinding sunlight and the abrupt silence.

Several sakura trees bordered the inner courtyard and their petals decorated the scene, especially through the aisle that the bride had passed through. The only area devoid of cherry blossoms was next to the altar where Kuraba had just received Mitsuba's hand.

Watching the two guests that arrived earlier than expected from the corner of his eye, Kuraba signalled for the musicians beside him to resume playing. Reading the atmosphere, the musicians replaced the once joyous, upbeat song with a more strained and dramatic tune.

Then, the groom finally turned to face the two men and brandished a friendly smile on his face. "Ah, the guests are finally here."

The bride also turned to follow her groom's gaze and was pleasantly surprised to see her little brother at the door. Next to him was someone she didn't recognize, but for some reason, her heart started to race when her eyes met his. She was acting like a teenage girl falling for someone so quickly. She mentally slapped herself and pushed aside those wicked thoughts before they could fester, then welcomed her brother.

"Sou-chan! The servants mentioned that you were bedridden with the flu. I'm glad to see that you're doing fine. Touma-san has to leave on an unexpected business trip three days from now so we were forced to move the wedding earlier. I'm glad you could make it, though. Why don't you and your friend sit up front with the sleeping flower girl? Kagura-chan's been worried about you these past few days. I think the lack of sleep finally took a toll on her." Mitsuba suggested as she eyed the only person in the audience.

Sougo spotted the familiar white cheongsam and head of vermillion hair resting on the neighbouring chair where a wicker basket of leftover sakura petals occupied.

Many thoughts raced through Sougo's head. One, he wanted to deny any relationship to the police dog that tracked him. Two, he wanted to make sure that his girlfriend was safe from any tricks hidden under Kuraba's sleeve. Three, he wanted to separate that trash from his sister immediately. In the end, Sougo prioritized the latter since his girlfriend was sitting at a safe distance from Kuraba unlike his sister and settling the score with Hijikata could be put on hold, at least, for now.

The sight of the scoundrel shamelessly touching his sister's hand enraged him further. He didn't waste any more time in warning her. "Ane-ue, move away from Kuraba! He's a wanted criminal! He's not your fiancé!"

He rushed forward to physically separate the two with his unsheathed sword firmly in his grasp.

"Listen to him, Mitsuba! He's not your fiancé because I am!" Hijikata echoed close behind him.

Sougo felt his foot slip in the middle of the aisle at that comment. Maybe it was due to the increasing intensity of the musician's instruments as the song reached its climax but it felt as if a bomb had exploded inside Sougo's mind. "WHAT?!"

In the still silence, he turned back to glare at the overly confident police dog and threatened him. "I dare you to say that again!"

As much as Sougo wanted to slice off Kuraba's arm, he was far more tempted to sever Hijikata's neck at this very moment. He had never been fond of the police ever since he lost both of his parents to a robbery that could've been prevented if the nearby patrolling police officers were not slacking off from their duties. His hatred for police officers still ran deep to this day.

That dreaded incident along with the dangerous glint of Sougo's katana led Mitsuba to believe that her little brother's hatred was currently directed at the only police officer in the room. She barely knew the officer, but her heart tightened at the thought of losing him.

Just then, the sound of a three-stringed instrument being gently plucked resounded and a gust of wind scattered several cherry blossom petals throughout the scene.

 _Ting. Ting. Ting._

The melody was hesitant as if it was beckoning him to move forward and his enraged self was more than willing to.

Watching her little brother in a frenzied daze take a step closer to the officer, Mitsuba cried out, "Sou-chan! Don't!"

At the sound of her voice, Sougo snapped out of his momentary trance of revenge. He reminded himself to prioritize his sister's safety over his own immediate desires.

Hijikata felt the deadly aura behind Sougo's piercing red eyes vanish, but continued to remain on him as if silently warning him, "I'll deal with you later".

Finally, Sougo turned his head back to glare at Kuraba, marking him as the new target. "You scum! Let ane-ue go!"

With his current momentum, he sprung forward with his sword drawn high, aiming straight at Kuraba's head. But instead of feeling the sword plunge into the enemy's skin, his swing fell short, just an inch above the criminal's shaved head.

As illogical as it seemed, Sougo appeared to have paused in mid-air. He struggled to close in the last inch to deliver the final blow, but he had no control of his limbs. It felt as if some sort of invisible force was holding him back.

In fact, every time he moved, he could feel pain as if something was cutting through his flesh.

"It took you long enough!" Kuraba turned to yell at the musicians.

At this point, only one of the musicians was playing an instrument. Specifically, a man with spiky teal hair further tuning his shamisen and bachi.

Perhaps, it was due to the headphones covering the man's ears and the dark sunglasses over his eyes, but he remained calmly seated on his chair and focused entirely on his shamisen as if he wasn't just scolded by his client.

Sougo's gut told him that his current dilemma was caused by this strange man. _A blind AND deaf musician? Who was he kidding?_

[ooo]

 **Up Next:** _The Wedding (Part 2)_

[ooo]

* * *

 **Helpful Notes:** Shamisen is a 3-stringed instrument. Bachi is the wooden pick that's used to strum the shamisen. See google-sensei for pics.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm not sure if I can use -dono (Lord/Master) as a suffix for female names. Screw historical accuracy. Mitsuba is officially a -dono. I'll likely edit this chapter later. Just wanted to update and let y'all know, I appreciate your comments! I ended this chapter abruptly since trying to cram all the action here will make this chapter wayyy too long. **  
**

* * *

 **Shoutout to all my readers (y'all still here?! go away. jk.):** Sorry, I don't have a regular schedule for updating. And thanks so much for waiting patiently. I can only ask you to wait longer...Cause let's be honest, I'm a lazy person. Trust me, I'm not dropping this fic (or any of my other fics for that matter). It'll just be a really slow ride to the end. So, bonus Q & A for y'all. **  
**

* * *

 **Q & A:**

 **Author:** So how exactly did you sleep through all of this?

 **Kagura:** I didn't! How do I miss seeing Sadist being played with? Every time the director moved away, I would sneak a peek at the action and when the camera pans back with me in the background, I had to stay as still as possible. I'm glad the camera never had to do a close-up shot or else, I'd be caught laughing!

 **Author:** Did anything else happen on set?

 **Kagura:** Hmm. Let's see...There was one time we took a 5-minute break in-between scenes and I saw that Sougo was still hanging in the air cause the director found it too much of a hassle to re-tie him in place. I went over to him and asked, "How's it hanging?". He ignored me and my wonderful pun so I kept bugging him until the break was over. I said everything I normally couldn't say. I think it ticked him off. By the end, he was giving me a death glare. I can't remember what he said afterwards.

As if on cue, a passerby popped into the interview.

Sougo appeared behind Kagura and whispered into her right ear. "Seems like you've already forgotten, I said 'I'd get my revenge on you'. The rope's ready." He paused to stretch the rope in his hands. "Are you~?"

Kagura felt his breath tickle her ear. With a red face, she nudged him away with her elbow.

 **Kagura:** Sadist! You-

 **Author:** Maybe, I should leave you two alone...

 **Kagura:** No, wait! It's not what it looks like! I promise!

 **Author:** Uh-huh.

Unconvinced, the author scurries off.

The next day, the staff opened the set for filming and saw an unusual sight. Sougo was bound and gagged with a rope in a fetal position. Hijikata walked towards him in a calm manner, pulled off the gag in his mouth and guessed, "Kagura?"

Sougo coughed, letting his sore mouth relax before nodding. Hijikata found something else unusual about him. "Then why do you look so happy then?"

"Because I got to please my wife." Sougo stated as a matter of fact.

Hijikata shook his head. _He's so whipped._ "And since when did you two get married? Hell, did you even date?"

Sougo scoffed. "Did the mayo blind your eyes? We're already flirting so much, how are we not already dating? Better yet, married?"

Hijikata shook his head once again. He could only pray for the little lady's safety.


End file.
